


come be how you want to (and see how bright we shine)

by SJAandDWfan



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, and they're gay about it, file under: greenelan sing a love duet on the fly for class, kind of au-y in that barry and trent are both teachers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22485106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJAandDWfan/pseuds/SJAandDWfan
Summary: Barry clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Good afternoon, future pioneers of the arts!”“What?” Shelby scoffed under her breath. Alyssa just shook her head.“I’m sure you’re all wondering what’s happening,” Trent said, not deterred by the lack of positive reaction to Barry’s greeting. He gestured to the wheel. “Well, today, Barry and I thought we’d play a fun game of ‘Duet Roulette’.”orimpromptu randomly assigned love duets ft. emma and alyssa
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 11
Kudos: 101





	come be how you want to (and see how bright we shine)

**Author's Note:**

> i cannot claim 'duet roulette' as my concept but i did alter the rules from the version i found! i wrote this approximately between the hours of 12:30-4:30am last night and tidied it up today so this fic just kinda got written without a plan.
> 
> basically it all stemmed from the thought "wow what if emma and alyssa had to sing a love song in class with no warning and that song was as long as you're mine how well would they Cope with That" and this is the result

As soon as Alyssa entered the music room for her final class of the day, she knew she was in trouble.

Mr. Glickman and Mr. Oliver were both there, for a start, which could only mean that something weird was about to go down. Every time the music teacher and the drama teacher teamed up for this strange hybrid class that they were calling “musical theater”, things tended to go awry; Alyssa couldn’t help but remember their failed songwriting challenge where they’d tasked the class with writing the next big Broadway showstopper in under an hour. It hadn’t gone well.

But it seemed like Barry and Trent – they were pretty informal as far as teachers at this school went – were changing tactic. There was a giant wheel in the middle of the room, lovingly hand-decorated and covered with far too much glitter, and the two of them were standing either side of it and beaming at the students that filed in.

Alyssa took her seat in the half-circle of chairs, set out in two rows, next to Shelby and Kaylee, and eyed the wheel with caution. She dimly realized that each section of the wheel had a different song from a musical written on it. If this was going where she thought it was going…

Just then, another student walked in, and Alyssa lost her train of thought entirely. Then again, that was usually what happened when she saw Emma; her breath would catch, her heart would race, her mouth would go dry. Normal things.

And, yes, Alyssa knew she had a crush on Emma Nolan. She was very well-aware of that fact. She just didn’t want to think about it; didn’t want to let herself get into what it meant that she liked the girl who was ostracized in school because she herself was a lesbian.

If anyone found out that Alyssa was a lesbian, too…

In fact, the only other person who knew about her was Emma herself. Alyssa had all but cornered her in the safe space of the band closet and had come out to her in a rushed mess of words, breaking down into tears promptly after when Emma had hugged her tight. It hadn’t been the start of their friendship, but it had been the moment they’d gone from friends who hung out in secret once or twice a week to the kind of friends who texted late into the night and sat just a little too close together on the floor of the band closet, sharing earbuds as they studied.

Alyssa knew she liked Emma. Sometimes she wondered if Emma liked her back. But she didn’t want to risk pushing away the only person who truly knew her based only on a flutter of hope that often sparked before she could squash it down and pack it away in a locked box in the back of her mind.

Emma sat down on the end of the front row, her gaze catching Alyssa’s as she set her bag down. A small smile tugged at her lips, and it made Alyssa’s heart stutter in her chest.

Barry clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Good afternoon, future pioneers of the arts!”

“What?” Shelby scoffed under her breath. Alyssa just shook her head.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what’s happening,” Trent said, not deterred by the lack of positive reaction to Barry’s greeting. He gestured to the wheel. “Well, today, Barry and I thought we’d play a fun game of ‘Duet Roulette’.”

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to call it that,” Barry hissed, still smiling at the class.

Trent frowned. “You failed to come up with a better name, therefore it remains.”

“We don’t care what it’s called,” Nick groaned. His arm was slung around the back of Kaylee’s chair. “Just explain it so it can be over faster.”

“That’s the spirit!” Trent beamed. Alyssa saw Emma shake her head out of the corner of her eye as he continued. “Now, what we have on the wheel here are ten famous duets from popular musicals. All twenty of your names are on slips of paper in this top hat—” Trent pointed to the hat which Barry had just retrieved from behind the wheel, “—and we are going to draw two names at random to pair up for a duet. The two duet partners will then spin the wheel and sing whatever song it lands on, provided the song hasn’t already been covered today. Any questions?”

Shelby raised her hand. “Yeah, I got a question. How long do we get to rehearse this?”

“You don’t,” Barry supplied with a grin. “You will be provided with sheet music and a full instrumental accompaniment recording, but this is on the fly.”

“What?” Shelby gaped at the two of them. “Do you really expect us to know all of these songs off by heart?”

“Yes.” Trent looked wounded at the very notion that they wouldn’t. “Like I said, we picked famous songs from popular shows.”

Alyssa cleared her throat. “How do we decide who takes which part in the duet?”

“Good question, Alyssa,” Barry said. “That depends on how comfortable each of you are with the range of your part. If we get a boy and a girl paired up it will probably be easier to decide, granted, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

Alyssa wasn’t filled with confidence.

Barry led them through their usual vocal warmup, and as ever, nobody really took it seriously. Alyssa did, and she noticed that Emma did as well, but most of the other students were preoccupied with laughing their way through the ridiculous exercises. Alyssa was tempted to, honestly, but she felt bad for her hapless teachers.

“First pair!” Trent was practically vibrating with excitement as he pulled a slip of paper out of the hat. “Shelby Gonzales.”

Shelby groaned. “Wonderful.”

“Hey, at least you’ll get it out of the way,” Alyssa said.

“I guess.”

Barry pulled out the second slip of paper. “Kevin Shields!”

Kevin bounded to his feet and Shelby looked a little less sour at the prospect of singing with her boyfriend. The two of them made their way over to the wheel, and with a sarcastic little flourish, Shelby spun it.

Alyssa was a little surprised that the wheel didn’t fall apart, seeing as it didn’t look that sturdy, but it held together well. The songs blurred together until the spinning begun to slow, and eventually the wheel stopped altogether and Alyssa craned her neck to see which song it had landed on.

“’Seventeen’ from _Heathers_ ,” Kevin announced. “I know that one!”

“Me too,” Shelby said cautiously. “But only because _Riverdale_ tried and failed at it.”

Barry’s eye twitched. “Regardless, take a minute to discuss the plan amongst yourselves while we get the music stands set up.”

Clearly, the two of them decided who was going to be playing who pretty quickly. Shelby pored over the sheet music as soon as the stand was placed in front of her; Kevin standing opposite her about six feet away looking at his with a nervous frown on his face.

“Are you okay, Kevin?” Trent asked him.

Kevin shrugged. “I’m not so good at… reading music.”

“Do you know the notes in your head?”

“Yeah.”

Trent patted him on the shoulder. “Then that’s all you need for today. Don’t worry about what’s written down, just _feel_ it.” He addressed the class at large. “The point of this exercise is for us to see how you can act through music in a relatively high-pressure situation. It’s fine if you miss a few notes; just focus on what the words that you’re singing mean and let the performance flow through you.”

“Still. Let’s all try our best to hit the notes,” Barry interjected. “This is a music class, after all.”

Kaylee raised her hand. “I thought it was drama class.”

“It’s both,” Trent said quickly. “Ahem. If Shelby and Kevin are ready, I’ll cue the track.”

“Let’s get this over with,” Shelby muttered.

* * *

There had been a couple of interesting pairs by the time they were reaching three-quarters of the way through. Shelby and Kevin’s duet had set a pretty high bar which everyone else had largely failed to meet – even though both Barry and Trent kept insisting that it wasn’t a competition – including but not limited to a very awkward version of ‘Only Us’ from _Dear Evan Hansen_ sung by two very straight guys, and Kaylee and Nick’s truly troubling rendition of ‘Bad Idea’ from _Waitress_ (which was not only off-pitch on Nick’s part, but downright uncomfortable to watch, making Alyssa very glad that the two of them were kept apart by the music stands).

The number of remaining students and songs was dwindling, and Alyssa hadn’t been called yet. To both her horror and delight, neither had Emma, and she began to wonder just what the odds of the two of them being paired together were. Alyssa knew that Emma had a beautiful voice, and part of her wanted more than anything to be able to sing with her, but a love duet? In front of the rest of their class? Alyssa wasn’t sure if she could do that.

Finally, Alyssa’s name was pulled from the hat. She allowed herself a glance around at those of her classmates that hadn’t sung yet, feeling heat rush to her cheeks as her eyes passed over Emma, unable to move on from looking at her. Barry reached into the hat and pulled out the second slip of paper, and Alyssa’s heart beat loudly in her ears.

“Emma Nolan.”

Time stopped for a moment as Emma looked at her, so many conflicting and confusing emotions swirling behind those hazel eyes of hers that it made Alyssa feel a little dizzy. She was distantly aware of a few murmurs from her classmates, probably relief that it wasn’t them who would be singing with Emma, but Alyssa couldn’t bring herself to care too much. Not when she was too busy thinking about how she was finally going to be getting her chance to sing with the girl she had feelings for, even if it was just for a silly exercise in class.

Alyssa got to her feet, picking her way between chairs to the front of the class and reaching the wheel. Emma stood on the other side, her expression settling into a nervous smile, and she wrung her hands almost unthinkingly as she glanced at Barry.

“Ready, kid?” he asked her. Emma nodded wordlessly, and Barry gestured to her and Alyssa to take it away.

Exhaling shakily, Alyssa placed a hand on the wheel, waiting for Emma to do the same before they spun it together. She watched the different colored sections blur together, her heart thundering in her chest as she watched in anticipation. When the wheel finally, _finally_ stopped, Alyssa’s heart then felt like it stopped with it.

She barely heard Emma’s little, “Oh,” as she took in their assignment.

“Beautiful song,” Trent gushed. “’As Long As You’re Mine’, from _Wicked_. I trust you both are familiar?”

Alyssa nodded mutely.

“Yeah,” Emma said quietly. “My gran took me to see the tour for my birthday.”

“Take a moment to decide who’ll be singing which part,” Barry advised. “Obviously one is lower than the other so discuss it amongst yourselves.”

Alyssa took a small step closer to Emma, trying to give her a reassuring smile even as she wondered if she was going to pass out. It seemed to help Emma relax a little, though, and she took a deep breath before addressing Alyssa.

“I feel like, uh, more of an Elphaba in life than a Fiyero,” she murmured. “Social pariah and all that. But if you’d rather sing the higher part, I know both pretty well.”

Alyssa shook her head. “I don’t mind taking the guy’s part. I don’t remember it being too low.”

“G below middle C,” Emma said. “That’s, uh, the lowest note, I think.”

“Oh.” Alyssa thought for a moment. “Yeah, that should be okay.”

“Okay,” Emma echoed. “So… I’ll be Elphaba?”

Alyssa gave her a small nod. “I’ll be Fiyero.”

“Excellent!” Trent said, making them both jump a little, and Alyssa almost tripped over her own feet in her attempt to get behind her music stand.

The notes swam on the page in front of her, but Alyssa knew the song well enough that it didn’t matter too much. She needed to make sure of a couple of the harmonies, but she was pleased to find that her vision cleared long enough to confirm what she needed.

She looked up at Emma, who swallowed visibly, and Alyssa’s stomach flipped as the first notes of the instrumental track rang out. Instantly, the mood felt like it shifted, and Alyssa’s vision narrowed to Emma. The melody of one of the electric guitars was almost haunting, although maybe that was something to do with the look in Emma’s eyes as she took a breath before she started to sing.

And when she did sing, Alyssa was left wondering how the hell she was meant to get through the whole song as she suddenly remembered what the first lines of it were.

_“Kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight. I need help believing you’re with me tonight.”_

Emma’s voice was instantly hypnotizing, and Alyssa felt herself blushing hard at the words she was singing to her. Sure, they were just lyrics, but Emma was apparently taking this whole ‘acting through song’ thing very seriously, even if she was unaware of the way her words hit Alyssa directly in the middle of her chest. Images of herself kissing Emma flashed through her mind, not for the first time, and Alyssa’s breath came shorter.

_“My wildest dreamings could not forsee lying beside you, with you wanting me.”_

At this, Emma’s eyes flickered down to her sheet music, almost like keeping eye contact with Alyssa was too much. Alyssa gulped. She _did_ want Emma. She wanted her more than she should, if she was being sensible about the consequences, but right now she couldn’t remember why wanting her was so bad.

Emma shut her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, her gaze found Alyssa’s and held it a lot steadier than before as the music soared.

_“And just for this moment, as long as you’re mine, I’ve lost all resistance, and crossed some borderline.”_

God, her voice was beautiful.

_“And if it turns out it’s over too fast… I’ll make every last moment last. As long as you’re mine.”_

Alyssa was so enchanted by Emma that she almost forgot that she was supposed to be singing this song, too. She cleared her throat quickly as the drums on the track signalled the start of her verse, a small part of her wanting to laugh at how apt the first three words of her part were. The larger part of her, though, was just focused on Emma.

_“Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise. But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes.”_

Her hands gripped the edge of the music stand tightly. Emma was watching her with an expression that Alyssa couldn’t quite put her finger on, and it was all Alyssa could to do to focus on the next lines and feel lightheaded at just how true they were ringing in this moment.

 _“Somehow I’ve fallen under your spell.”_ Alyssa couldn’t take her eyes off of Emma. _“And somehow I’m feeling it’s up that I fell.”_

Alyssa was somewhat surprised at how steady her voice sounded to her own ears, given the circumstances. And when Emma joined her on the next lines, their voices melded together seamlessly, and Alyssa knew that this was going to be something really special.

_“Every moment, as long as you’re mine, I’ll wake up my body, and make up for lost time.”_

Alyssa’s cheeks felt hot, but she pushed through the embarrassment at singing these words to Emma’s face, safe in the hope that nobody around them would be able to see how much this song was already getting to her. She sang the next little bit alone, watching as turmoil made its way into Emma’s eyes at the words.

_“Say there’s no future for us as a pair…”_

Alyssa shook her head almost imperceptibly, unsure of what exactly she was trying to communicate, only that she didn’t like seeing that pain behind her gaze. Emma joined back in for the next line, eyebrows drawn together slightly.

_“And though I may know, I don’t care.”_

The rest of the song was the two of them singing together in harmony, and as the song built back up into the final chorus, Alyssa felt a strange determination rushing through her body. Right now, Emma was the single most important thing to her.

_“Just for this moment, as long as you’re mine.”_

Emma’s eyes bore into Alyssa’s own and, normally, she’d look away out of fear. But, in that moment, all Alyssa felt was a fire in her chest. She wanted Emma more than _anything_ else in the world. It scared her, but at the same time, it was the least terrifying realization she had come to where Emma was concerned.

_“Come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine.”_

Alyssa thought back to the time she and Emma would spend together in the band closet. Emma knew her, better than anyone else in her life, and she was still here. She still wanted to be around her. And, when she looked into Emma’s eyes as they sang together, she started to get the feeling that Emma just wanted _her_.

_“Borrow the moonlight until it is through.”_

They held the note as the music quietened momentarily. The haunting guitar was back, but Alyssa was barely aware of it, too busy finally noticing the way Emma was looking at her and feeling like some sort of fog had been lifted.

_“And know I’ll be here holding you.”_

The instrumental built back up again, ready for the final line, and one of Alyssa’s hands loosened its grip on the music stand. She placed her palm over her heart, feeling it pounding against her ribcage, feeling her chest vibrating with the song, and she smiled.

_“As long as you’re mine.”_

Emma didn’t break eye contact with her, even after they both finished the final note, and Alyssa suddenly remembered as the music carried on that there was dialogue at the end of the song. She somehow found the correct words lodged somewhere in the back of her brain.

“What is it?”

“Huh?” Emma blinked rapidly, looking as if she had suddenly emerged from a trance, and finally looked down at her sheet music. She flipped haphazardly to the last page, and said, in a rush, “Oh, um, for the first time, I feel wicked.”

Alyssa looked down at her own sheet music as the applause from the rest of the class broke the spell. She felt like she couldn’t quite catch her breath. God, twenty people had just watched her all but confess her feelings for Emma. Hopefully they wouldn’t understand quite what they’d seen. Hopefully they’d chalk it up to good acting. Hopefully only one specific person in this room would see through her.

She didn’t dare look at Emma as she made her way back to her seat. Shelby’s gaze burned holes in the side of her head as she sat, but Alyssa ignored her, knowing that if she met Shelby’s eyes then she was screwed.

Shelby just hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think I realized how intense that song is until now.”

Alyssa made a sort of strangled noise she hoped passed for a laugh.

Luckily, everyone’s attention was soon diverted to the next pair of duet partners, and Alyssa felt the weight of her friend’s stare lift from her. She slipped her phone out of her pocket, keeping it subtle and mostly out of sight as she pulled up her text thread with Emma and typed out a new message.

_Band closet after school._

She sent it, quickly shoving her phone back in her pocket and risking a look in Emma’s direction. She saw Emma’s forehead crease for a second as she read the message, and there was a clear question in her eyes when their gazes met. ‘Are you okay?’

Alyssa nodded, and Emma’s concern cleared. Mostly. She gave Alyssa a quick, reassuring smile, as if to say she’d be there, and that was all they got before their attention was being pulled to the whooping and laughter as the current pair got ‘You’re the Top’ from _Anything Goes_ as their song.

* * *

By the time Alyssa managed to give her friends the slip after class, Emma was already waiting for her in the band closet. Alyssa closed the door behind her, feeling a humming in her body at the two of them being alone, and took a deep breath.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Emma said, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans and clearing her throat slightly. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Alyssa said immediately. She winced. “No. Sort of.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Option four; all of the above?”

“I just…” Alyssa licked her lips nervously, watching as Emma’s eyes flickered down for the briefest of moments. “We sounded really good together.”

“Yeah,” Emma said quietly. “We did, didn’t we?”

“We should sing together more often.”

“Totally.”

Alyssa barely noticed the steps she was taking towards Emma until they were breathing the same air. Emma looked at her curiously, like she wasn’t sure if Alyssa was aware of how close they were, but it was the only thing Alyssa could focus on. Emma’s eyes were flecked with gold. There were a few freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. Her lips looked soft and full.

“Lys…” Emma’s voice was barely audible.

“What?” Alyssa breathed. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

“I—I really wanna kiss you.”

Emma’s eyes were wide, and nervous, and the most beautiful thing Alyssa had ever seen. Alyssa let herself lean in just a little bit, close enough that she could feel Emma exhale against her lips, and she ached to hold her.

Alyssa could feel the warmth radiating off of her, and it made her next word come out as almost a whimper. “Please.”

She saw a flash of relief in Emma’s eyes, just before her hands found Alyssa’s cheeks and pulled her in. Alyssa’s eyes slipped closed just before their lips met. Emma’s kiss was so gentle, and it made Alyssa melt a little bit, and it was all she could do to find Emma’s sides with her hands and not cling on as desperately as she wanted to.

The first kiss lingered for a few seconds before Emma pulled back. Immediately, Alyssa needed more. Her hands tightened and she rocked onto her toes, capturing Emma’s lips once more, firmer this time. Their chests were pressed lightly together, and even that made Alyssa’s head start to spin. She’d never been this close to Emma before, and right now, she couldn’t fathom how she’d survived this long without kissing her.

She tilted her head to the side slightly, changing the angle of the kiss and parting her lips, feeling one of Emma’s hands slide up into her hair in response. Alyssa wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, leaning into her even more and letting the kiss deepen. She let a quiet, breathy sound slip out when Emma caught her bottom lip between her own and sucked.

Eventually, they pulled away. Alyssa didn’t go far, though, her nose brushed Emma’s before she opened her eyes again. Her gaze went straight to Emma’s lips, perfect and parted and even softer than she’d thought they would be.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

Emma drew her head back to look at her, a little panicked. “Good ‘oh my God’ or bad ‘oh my God’?”

“Good,” Alyssa said quickly. “Really, really good, just… oh my God. I just—we just—”

“Kissed?”

Alyssa nodded, raising a shaking hand to touch her own lips. They were tingling. “Can I tell you something?”

“Always.” Emma’s thumb brushed over her cheek, and Alyssa’s eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment. “You can tell me anything.”

“I’m so scared, Emma,” Alyssa said, swallowing hard. “I—I like you, _a lot_ , but I’m terrified, and I don’t know what to do.”

Emma pulled her into a hug, and Alyssa let herself sink into it with a sigh, feeling all at once calmer and impossibly electrified. She buried her face in Emma’s neck, breathing her in.

“I really like you, too,” Emma murmured. “Like, I’ve had a huge crush on you for so long. I never thought you…”

“Never?”

“Well.” Emma paused. “Maybe a couple of times I thought… but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I was scared that if you knew how I felt, you wouldn’t want to be my friend. You see me like nobody else here does, and I didn’t want to lose that.”

Alyssa hugged her tighter. “Me neither.”

“It’s okay that you’re scared, Alyssa,” Emma said. “I know what this place is like. How people are. I… I’d never make you tell anyone you didn’t want to tell about you, or about—”

Emma cut herself off abruptly. Alyssa lifted her head, looking at Emma’s face and seeing her cheeks red with embarrassment. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Emma said quickly. “I, uh, was just going to say ‘about us’, and then I remembered there isn’t an us and it’s completely not my place to—”

“I want there to be an us,” Alyssa interrupted. Nerves rushed through her, but she held firm, looking into Emma’s eyes and seeing so much hope reflected back at her. “I mean, if that’s what you want. I—I can’t tell anyone, not yet, but… I just want you, Emma Nolan. I want you to be mine, okay?”

Emma let out a shaky breath. “I want that, too. So much.”

“This is really not how I thought today would go.”

“God.” Emma choked out a laugh. “I can’t believe we owe all this to a hat and a bedazzled wheel.”

“I think I judged ‘Duet Roulette’ too harshly,” Alyssa said. “Singing that song with you back there… I’ve never felt anything like that.”

“Me neither,” Emma admitted.

Alyssa leaned in and brushed their noses together. “Hm. The song is meant to end with a kiss, right?”

“I believe it is.” Emma nodded, half-closed eyes dropping to Alyssa’s lips once more. “May I?”

Instead of answering with words, Alyssa closed the rest of the distance between them and kissed her, unwilling to waste a single second. She didn’t know what the future held for them. She was determined to fight for it, but for the moment, she just wanted to lose herself in how it felt to hold Emma like this.

Emma liked her. Emma wanted to be with her. Emma was kissing her back.

And, for Alyssa, that was more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! any and all comments are very very welcome!! ily all!!


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